The grip of the android’s hand tightened around Seth’s neck. All Seth could think about was how stupid he was for letting the android grab him in the first place. He should have been much more careful. In his dazed state, it took a moment for Seth to realize that it wasn’t BX-12 who was threatening him. It was the Annecta colony in the cargo bay who has been controlling him. Whenever BX-12 turned its head to the side, Seth could see the Annecta spider on the back of its head, with its ‘legs’ burrowing deeply into the android’s synthetic brain.
From what he remembered from the victim, Jerad, it didn’t take much force from the humanoids to break someone’s neck. LeCroy said that the strength of the android was three times that of a human. Squeeze only a little harder and my vertebrae will be shattered, Seth thought.
Was it possible that the android was hesitating?
It almost didn’t matter; however weakly the android was holding him, Seth just couldn’t breathe. He began to feel his consciousness slip away. The look on the android’s face gave only a look of ‘…Why?’ The android stared deeply and slammed Seth even harder against the wall. ‘WHY?!!’ it seemed to demand.
With his last breath, Seth wanted to say that he was sorry. He was sorry that it had come to this. Santiago had his finger on the button that would annihilate their kind, while the android had his hand around Seth’s throat. But Seth had no choice. Santiago was right…as long as the human population was in danger, he needed to defend them. I know it was the human population that wronged you first…
But just when Seth was about to black out, he could see someone in a red uniform sneak up from behind the android. Seth’s vision was blurred and he couldn’t see who he or she was, but whoever it was, he or she swung something hard on the side of the android’s head. He let go of Seth, causing him to fall to the ground. Seth collapsed and choked, his lungs involuntarily trying to force in all of the available oxygen. When he caught enough of a breath, Seth quickly got up and threw his shoulder into the android, causing him to collapse onto the ground. Seth grabbed his hand phaser and fired at the Annecta spider on the back of its head.
After breathing a sigh of relief, Seth looked around to see who it was who hit the android in the first place. When he made out who it was, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
It was Commander Ariele.
